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Reputation Activity

Replies:
Kim Sunwoo: It get's a little better in this entry.
Urban Constanta: Thank you very much!
Krasner: This old dog is still learning new tricks.
kingofsimcity: Cheers! The next step is merging diggis river pieces with his pond pieces to create lakes and/or reservoirs.
kschmidt: Thanks a lot! The next phase is creating grid-busting villages which largely consist of MMPs.
Linoa06: I created a river to add an interesting boundary to the fields, every field I created is influenced by that river.
Simmer2: And those dry stone walls have already been put to good use. Thanks!
MiCephia: Thank you. Also good luck with your MMP experiments.
Tyberius06:
SC4L0ver: Wait until you see my landscaping work for hills, mountains, lakes and rivers- that will be for my next SC4 project.
Akallan: Yes- I am increasingly using MMPs and focusing more on rural scenes and suburban scenes. While in future my urban scenes will include additional MMP flourishes.

Entry 15: The Village
About three months ago I worked on a small row of houses which were off the road and used MMPs for the surroundings. I came back to this two days ago and this time I produced a small village.

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The area in question.

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More track grid-busting.

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I used girafe's bushes for hedgerows.

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Making use of Simmer2's Dry Stone Walls, found here- http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3566.

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The village- off the grid and filled with MMPs!

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Simmer2's walls are also useful for property demarcation. This idea came about because lone houses in the Pennines, or in the Lake Distract, often have stone walls to mark the edges of the property and the land.

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Since the properties are rural, quite a few of them have some kind of greenhouse or patch to grow vegetables (or personal crops ).

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A little mosaic for today!

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Here is the northern route into the village. It is the main one.

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Minus the stone wall at the bottom right corner, everything you see here is 100% MMP.

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Someone please page simmaster07 -- we need to place MMPs on streets/roads/railways ASAP!

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Despite this limitation I am happy with the final result.

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Another overview of the new area I created. There will be more close-ups when I start the large tour around Pololomia. For now though these pictures shall suffice.

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Dem details!

Right now I am working my ass off finishing off as many fields as I can during my one week holiday.
There will be another entry next week.
After that Pololomia should be done and the grand tour can commence.

Hi everyone!
It seems that almost a year has passed since the last update. As usual, I've been losing interest for the game then came back to it and started working on different projects without finishing them. And you all know that I'm quite slow... The play time counter from Steam is for instance quite depressing for me to see
It's time for me to introduce Arquennes, the city that will interest us in the next updates. The idea, as you may have seen, was to create some kind of regional middle town located on its hill next to the canal and trying to make it as organic as possible.
22. ARQUENNES - INTRODUCTION
1. Episcopal city means churches...

2. 'La ferme du Bailli', a specific update will be dedicated to that place

3. Feluy, one of the 5 other villages that are part of Arquennes municipality. Same, a specific update for that one

4. Arquennes itself, its cathedral and episcopal palace

I hope you liked those pictures. The next ones are coming soon
- REPLIES -
@JP Schriefer Thank you very much!
@The British Sausage Thanks mate!
@_Michael Yeah I know, they are never there when you need them Thank you!
@ulisse Thank you too! The citizens will welcome you with open arms!
@Takingyouthere Indeed, even if I try to keep some growed building. Thank you!
@MissVanleider I think it's quite faisible for Arinsia government. Thank you!
@Prophet42 It's part of Callagrafx's canals. Nothing more. Thank you.
@juliok92012 Thank you!
@sejr99999 Thank you! It would be great indeed!
@sunda Gracias!
@kschmidt Thank you! There are indeed several 'Venice of the North'.
@simlacroix You're welcome!
@tonyr Thank you too!

Replies:
kschmidt: Cheers!
rathefalcon: Everything I do with these city tiles is to create rural/urban transitions.
Prophet42:
UrbanConstanta: Did you manage to download those fields?
TekindusT: Worth the price of admission!
Kim Sunwoo: I call that mosaic the city centre to rural transition.
simbasc4: Thank you very much!

Entry 14: More Rural Development
So this month has been a busy one, but in the last two days I have been working some more on Pololomia and finishing off areas to the north. I reckon finishing every area could take anywhere between a month and six weeks given all the MMPs I am using, but it is slowly coming together.

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Gridbusting on a MASSIVE scale.

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I'm experimenting with mixed field/woodland areas.

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Rural areas in England often have many fields with patches of woodland throw in the middle.

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While Diggis river extension pieces form great boundaries for the fields.

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And the river banks are SO MMP-able.

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Another feature of English farmland is the line of trees bordering fields.

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The other thing I am developing is a better blending of tracks with the dirt perimeter of fields.

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And a new MMP farm combo (using Chrisadams3997's RRP MMPs): wild white flowers combined with clover textures. Throw in ionionion's OMCo brown dirt and we have a rich, organic field!

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And a close-up of that field.

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Rivers make for the most interesting boundaries... Sometimes the fields will be bordering the river banks and other times there is a clear separation between river banks and fields.

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By using the wide version of Heblem's gravel MMPs, and placing it in the centre between two lines of gravel MMPs, it gives the tracks a rough boundary- which helps them better blend into the landscape.

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While the field edges look dirty and as messy as possible, which is just the look I'm going for with plowed fields.

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Another overview of the area I'm working on.

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Simmer2's stone paths MMPs are SO good! Plus this is another exercise in varying MMP densities: high to the left, medium by the river and low to the right.

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Blending the street, river, diagonal fillers and MMPs all together in one cohesive package.

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Fields must be YUGE!

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And with that I will end this entry.
Next entry- next week? Two weeks from now?
See you then.

-------------------------------------------------------- [AUTHOR'S COMMENT] --------------------------------------------------------
This is the fourth and last entry of Project Haussmann. I hope you enjoyed this development in 4 stages: briefing-proposal-construction-result
For the next entry we leave for a while the Urban Planning stuff and we start a new section in this CJ. The next entry will be something that you have already seen in Simtropolis, but I will be changing a few pictures to match the new storyline. It was posted several years ago, so probably it will be new for many of you.
See u!

When it came to the rail yard I was all set with 2 different modular sets to try out but then I came across this large all in one rail yard. I'm looking at it thinking everything i want is here, I couldn't have put the modular together any better than myself and it even included a little engine depot at one end and offices at the other. So I opted to use the large rail yard and save myself some time. I completed the area with Simmer2's large rail roundhouse (14x14), what an awesome lot. it comes with a smaller 8x14 version but this thing is spectacular and deserves the showcase so I used large version. I also used NBVC's oil loading depots, another really cool lot in my opinion to add authenticity and Simmer2"s side rail lot under the main large lot, as well as a couple of freight loading stations in between. I got high mast lighting around the area and just have to fill in the gaps now. I will return with some better close up pictures of large rail yard.

Next created this area which turned out to be quite large cause there were so many great lots to use and different related areas to create. So this will become my regional lumber and wood supplys sector. I used a lot of Nexis lots and props here as well as other I can not identify at the moment as I've stated I am new to the mod stuff. I have actually only been downloading and playing with mods for 8 months now. It was what rekindled my passion for the game as I had put it away for years. Thanks again modders!

Mt. Atom is a landmark and residential neighborhood of Eamonn Isle. It is where EI first settlers resided over 200 hundred years ago, making Mt. Atom the oldest town in EI. Historic and picturesque...a must for tourist or date night--Unique dining,wonderful views and more.

Replies:
kschmidt: Thank you very much!
sejr99999: Cheers!
matias93: MMP textures can compliment terrain sometimes but I am currently sticking with Gobias' Sudden Valley terrain mod.
kingofsimcity: Thanks! Expect more of those cross-town mosaics in future entries.
SC4L0ver: Thanks! Last year I finally got the field dimensions and the field transitions/boundaries/fillers correct. I also nailed the urban/rural transition with a combined MMP/lot approach. This year there will be a lot more of that.
Krasner:
Bipin: Your BATs and LOTs have been invalueable for my industrial and rural areas.
Akallan: The circular fields are an incredible piece of texture work!
Urban Constanta: I think you need to be a member of SC4D to be able to download the circular fields.

The New Year's Entry
Propelling the URS firmly into 2018 we shall start with a special entry which features the latest areas I have been developing in Pololomia, it combines two of my favourite things: farms and industry.
And what does 2018 hold? Well the first two or three months will be covering Pololomia. There will be some smaller side projects during Spring and early Summer where I will experiment even further with MMPs, LOTs and BATs. During the Summer Holidays I will be working on a new large city tile; perhaps something intensely urban but throwing in a lot of MMPs to an urban setting...
With that said let us start with...

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The top half of the picture contains the new areas I have been working on.

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Mixing old and new.

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The new is Simmer2's fantastic Royal Flush business / (industrial building)- http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3556.

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Mid-rise or low-rise sprawling industrial units are so important for getting industrial density right.

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I have shown something similar in this area before, but now I've added the perimeter of dirt around the MMP fields. It's adds an important messy element to fields which is lacking from ploppable fields.

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And this is the new industrial area I completed. This was tricky as I needed to blend large-scale industry with rural buildings, woodland and fields.

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A return of the threshold photoshopped pictures!

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The urban/rural transition can be summed up as follows: a line of trees/lots, some kind of fencing, a dirt perimeter and then MMP fields.

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A small village just north of the new industrial area I created.

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Another thing I was working on last year was the rural intersection and rural turnoffs to tracks and dirt paths...

For my last two updates of the year, we're taking a look at one of the world's greatest cities - New York City, in the past and in the present. Today, we're going back in time once again - to take a look at historic New York City, primarily in Midtown Manhattan. Pretty much all the pictures will be set in 1935 - but I went even further back with a few.
We'll begin with a look at one of the city's most iconic landmarks - the Statue of Liberty. Opening in 1886, it was originally a stunning bronze color like depicted - but as oxidation set in over the years, it transformed into its trademark green by the 1920s.

The Plaza Hotel is another one of New York City's most iconic structures - since its completion in 1907, its been one of the city's most opulent and extravagant hotels. Horse drawn carriages were the primary way to get around when it was first completed and they were a common sight on the streets.

The Chrysler Building was opened in 1930 and is one of the city's most beautiful Art Deco skyscrapers. For a brief period of time, it was the world's tallest building - only to be surpassed by the Empire State Building a few years later.

The stunning Empire State Building was world's tallest building from 1931 to 1970 - and to this day it remains one of the world's most iconic skyscrapers. It's one of the city's Art Deco masterpieces.

The Sherry-Netherland is another one of New York City's Art Deco gems. Opening in 1927, it rises 560 feet over Central Park and is one of the city's most beautiful hotels.

Grand Central Terminal was opened in 1871 and has been one of the city's most crowded transportation hubs ever since.

Bryant Park dates back to 1847 and has been one of the city's most popular spots ever since. The surrounding New York Public Library was added in 1895 and is currently the world's fourth largest library.

The buildings of the Rockefeller Center were completed in the 1930s and are another fine example of the city's Art Deco style during this period.

The stunning Waldorf-Astoria Hotel was completed in 1931 and was the world's tallest hotel for over 30 years.

The nearby Chanin Building was opened in 1929 and was widely known for its beautiful brick and terra-cotta facade.

The Helmsley Building is another one of the city's most recognizable buildings during this period - and is known for the road running directly through it.

Times Square has long been one of the city's most crowded and popular destinations - and is surrounded by beautiful buildings like the One Times Square Building.

The Brooklyn Bridge is another one of the city's most recognizable landmarks - first opening back in 1883, it finally gave the people of the city a way to cross the river without using the ferry.

New York City used to have one of the country's most extensive el-rail lines - throughout the early 1900s they were widely used, but soon fell into disuse and were eventually torn down.

A couple of snowy and rainy days in New York City.

Some more assorted views of Manhattan.

A few more nighttime views from across the city.

One of the many beautiful parks that dot the city - Madison Square Park.

Located in the heart of Manhattan, Central Park dates back to 1857 and has been an urban oasis ever since.

An overview of stunning Central Park.

Finally, a few overviews of Midtown Manhattan in all its glory.

Don't forget to comment, like, and follow True Earth if you haven't already!

Replies:
_Michael: Thanks for that! I did what you said for my mosaics and it worked!
SC4L0ver: There's A LOT more rural scenes coming!
Prophet42: I am on a roll and I still find new ways to make these rural scenes and still find little improvements to better the quality. Anyway, ErnestMaxis created this MMP set which has all sorts- the gazebo is actually an MMP. The set can be found here, but DEPENDENCIES galore! http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=3493
Bluthlucidity: To answer your question I plop in some RCI buildings and grow others. Though nearly all commercial and industrial buildings are plopped, while some of the residential buildings are plopped. Though I'm not sure how to answer your second question- do you want me to make my plugins available to download??? Anyway, thanks for your comment!
buckbeach47: Thank you very much for your comments and for showing me the 3RR Exchange- this entry came about thanks to those circular fields. So thanks!
gunkz32: Cheers! There's a lot more where that came from.
aegian: To answer your question- no. But there are several SC4 Gods who produce scenes like this but with a very different style- Korver, Huston, SimCoug, Paeng, Fasan, Vortext, etc. A few times you will see people make the Google Maps comment for the bunch I mentioned!

Entry 12: A Special Christmas Present!!!
Note: this entry is dedicated to buckbeach47 for showing me the 3RR Exchange and these amazing circular irrigation fields.
It's Christmas Day and since I now have a two-week Christmas Holiday (one of the perks of being a teacher) I have some time to finish off Pololomia and the surrounding rural areas.
In this entry I show you the latest areas I have been working on and there are some goodies- including two MEGA-Mosaics.

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To immediately answer your question about the circular fields, they can be found on the 3RR Exchange on SC4D. (Link here- http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=5603.0)

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This circular field comes on a 24x24 lot, the outsides have this dirt texture which can be MMPed over.

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There is also a smaller 12x12 version.

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Here I go full-on 100% MMP saturation.

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I have redone the area around the petrol station; small buildings by the intersection.

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As a new feature I now add a small dirt perimeter around my MMP fields. It makes them a little messier but in a good way I think.

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Beyond Pololomia are a series of small villages close to the outskirts.

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In the last two years I have become more and more interested in creating smaller scenes, rural scenes, village scenes...

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Big skyscrapers and all that jazz now bores me.

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I am much more interested in rural/urban transitions, villages and of course mid-rise scenes (such as the city centre in Pololomia).

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The idea behind this field is that it has been heavily used by farm animals- the grass has been completely devoured in places but the farmer keeps on using it for convenience.

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The same field but nearly all of the grass is intact.

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And here is my attempt at minimal MMP saturation- which is surprising hard to get right! Moderate MMP saturation is even harder because there can never be enough MMPs...

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This picture shows part of two dedicated animal herding routes- the ones that are all dirty, dusty and brown. I would say this is moderate MMP saturation.

MEGA-Mosaic 2. If you ever wonder why I take so long to finish my cities it's only because I want to show you scenes like this!

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Anyway, next week I will show you some more updates. But right now I am loving the rural areas I'm creating; I would say I love creating rural areas more than creating industrial areas.
Enjoy this entry and enjoy the Christmas Holidays!

After taking a look at Toronto, today we'll be touring the rest of Canada, another one of the world's most beautiful countries. Our tour starts off on the Eastern shores, in the Newfoundland province. The small town of Red Island Harbour is quite picturesque - and the locals here make their living off some of the richest fishing grounds in the world, the Grand Banks. Wintertime can be quite beautiful - if you're lucky, you might get to see a unique wonder that rarely occurs across the globe: pancake ice.

We travel south to Nova Scotia - where lighthouses dot the coastlines. One of the most famous ones is Peggy's Point Lighthouse - built in 1868, it's one of the areas most famous landmarks and one of Canada's most photographed lighthouses.

Our next stop is Quebec City. Located on the banks of the Saint Lawrence River, Quebec's capital is one of the most historic cities in all of Canada, and in fact is the only North American fortified city north of Mexico whose walls still exist. It's most famous landmark however is the stunning Château Frontenac - built in 1893, this grand hotel is one of Canada's most spectacular buildings.

Not too far away is Montréal, the most populous city in Canada's Quebec province and the second largest city in the country. After Paris, it's the largest primarily French-speaking city in the world. Since it's founding as a small colony on Montréal Island back in 1642, it's transformed into an international metropolis ever since.

Our next destination is the capital of Canada - Ottawa. The centerpiece of the city is Parliament Hill, an impressive collection of buildings which house the Parliament of Canada.

Our next stop will be on Canada's southern border with the United States - where we'll get to see one of Canada's most amazing natural wonders, Horseshoe Falls. At night, these famous falls are illuminated in a rainbow of colors, turning the whole area into a spectacular light show.

We travel into Manitoba where we'll take a look at it's largest city and capital - Winnipeg. Known as the "Gateway to the West", the city is a railway and transportation hub and has a vibrant downtown area.

Canada's great prairies are superb for farming - and have made Saskatchewan known as the breadbasket of Canada. Small rural farms like this one can be seen virtually everywhere.

We head into Alberta, stopping in the "Gateway to the North" - Edmonton. This city of nearly 1 million is home to one of North America's northernmost skylines, filled with highrises like the 441 ft tall ATB Place (formerly known as the Telus Plaza).

Our next stop will be in Northern Alberta - in the city of Fort McMurray. Due to its location near valuable oil sands, massive industrial complexes have sprung up and smokestacks can be seen for miles around.

We head north, venturing into the Arctic - visiting the capital of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife. Located on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, it's the only city for hundreds of miles around - and wintertime can be especially brutal here. The YK Centre sign has been an icon in the city for decades, tracking the frigid temperatures. With temps reaching as low as -51 C - make sure you dress warmly!

As we travel further north into Nunavut, the temperatures drop even further - the local Inuit hunters who live here make igloos their home, and have done so for thousands of years. They do a great job of shielding them from the elements - and from the occasional nosy polar bear, too...

Iqaluit is Nunavut's capital - its a city filled with simple yet beautiful architecture. Colorful houses and unique structures like the igloo-shaped St. Jude's Cathedral make this city of 7,700 people stand out. Iqaluit's name literally means "many fishes" - and has long been a prominent fishing location, but stocks have been declining in recent years.

We travel back south, and along the shores of Great Bear Lake is where we'll see one of Canada's most awe-inspiring sights - the Northern Lights. Also known as Aurora borealis, these colorful lights in the sky are the result of electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth's atmosphere.

Our last stop in the Arctic is the Mackenzie River delta - where we'll get to see one of Canada's most unique natural wonders, the Pingo. These mounds of soil are filled with a core of expanding ice and usually a small pool of water at the top - and when the ice melts, the pingo collapses. Their name originates from Inuvialuktun word for "small hill" - and can reach huge diameters, sometimes as many 2,000 feet wide.

Our next stop is Calgary - the largest city in Alberta and home of the Calgary Stampede. The city's skyline has seen expansive growth in recent years - giving it one of the most impressive skylines in all of Canada.

The towers of Eigth Avenue Place (completed in 2011 and 2014) rise above the city - they're some of Canada's most spectacular skyscrapers.

For those wanting to get away from it all, there's no better place than the Canadian Rockies. Stunning lakes like Moraine Lake are nestled between pristine forests and towering peaks - and their turquoise color (caused by glacial flour) is truly mesmerizing.

We make our way to Canada's western coast, stopping to take a look at some of the totem poles that dot the shorelines. The ones here at Stanley Park in Vancouver are one of the country's most visited tourist attractions, and are one of the most recognizable cultural symbols of Western Canada.

Our last stop in Western Canada will be Vancouver's downtown - it's one of Canada's best, filled with sleek and modern buildings like the Bentall Centre. Despite a little rain, it's truly one of Canada's most beautiful cities.

Don't forget to comment, like, and follow True Earth if you haven't already!

Replies:
Namiko: Thanks a lot!
Prophet42: Those would be the backalley / centre-of-the-city-block pictures- I'm glad you get great ideas for your cities.
Akallan: I will be posting the odd montage video every two months or so...
JP Schriefer: Thanks! Also, one can never go wrong with Ennio Morricone.
Wallibuk: Thanks! The buildings are a mixture of American, European and British buildings.
Urban Constanta: Cheers!

Entry 11: Back to Rural Again!
So as promised here are some more rural scenes. I managed to find a diagonal version of Diggis river set and combined with the orthogonal set makes for some great-looking small rivers!

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The idea is a stream cutting through the fields, with some areas being fenced off to create wildlife habitats.

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Combined with orthogonal corners and diagonal corners, creating a river becomes an exercise in grid-busting.

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The path splits in two... One branches off towards a small tourist spot.

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Another thing I'm working on is wild areas with a medium saturation of MMPs. It's not 100% saturation and it ain't a light saturation either... Medium!

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I always enjoy painting in MMP gravel paths.

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At first I was just planning on creating MMP fields, but throwing in a river adds a bit of much needed variety.

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Full-sized image can be found here- http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img923/1006/x8Hb1c.jpg

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One of my favourite scenes to create is the rail siding in the middle of the countryside.

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I also throw in some SPAM fence sets in as well- brown, white and barbed wire.

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And a bit above the bridge is the field which hugs around the river's edge...

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Using Heblem's tropical grass I get this dark-green field which looks decent. Another <small> addition is a dirt-lined perimeter around some fields.

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The petrol station faces out into the sea of dark green.

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As mentioned earlier the tourist spot is this small gazebo by the river.

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Now my plans for this river is that it will run across the northeast corner of the city tile. LARGE VERSION: http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img924/772/YZVYC7.jpg

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And here is the picture of the playground. I posted this several days ago but here is the all-dolled-up version!

Now then, the next entry will be something similar- more rural scenes.
Enjoy!

Today we're going to be taking a look at the United States' second largest city - Los Angeles - the "City of Angels". Its a city filled with iconic skyscrapers and landmarks - such as the beautiful Bullocks Wilshire building. Completed in 1929, it's one of the city's finest examples of Art Deco style, and was one of its most prominent department stores. In 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Hollywood Hills is one of LA's most beautiful areas - its winding, hilly streets are surrounded by stunning mansions, home to many of the city's wealthiest people.

Running through the heart of the city, the Los Angeles River was filled with concrete in the 1930s and is one of the city's most unique sights.

The LA area is home to some of the country's most beautiful beaches. Venice Beach is one of the city's most popular destinations, and can get quite crowded during the summer months.

The Staples Center is one of Los Angeles' premier entertainment venues. Completed in 1999, its home to a number of professional sports franchises, such as the NBA's Lakers and Clippers, the WNBA's Sparks, and the NHL's Kings.

The famous Griffith Observatory was completed in 1935 - this building offers incredible views of downtown LA and the nearby Hollywood Sign, and is also home to an wide array of science and space displays for locals and tourists alike to enjoy.

The Hollywood Sign is one of the world's most famous signs, and can be seen for miles around. It's been one of LA's most iconic attractions and popular tourist destinations since its completion in 1923 (when it originally spelt out "Hollywoodland").

The Capitol Records Building was completed in 1956 and is another one of the city's most icons. Resembling a stack of records, this building has remained one of the country's most famous recording studios ever since.

Our last stop is LA's Financial District - its filled with stunning skyscrapers like the U.S. Bank Tower and Gas Company Tower.

From 1989 to 2017, the stunning 1,018 foot tall U.S. Bank Tower (formerly known as the Library Tower) was the tallest skyscraper in Los Angeles (since surpassed by the 1,100 foot tall Wilshire Grand Center).

LA at night is truly extraordinary.

Don't forget to comment, like, and follow True Earth if you haven't already!

Replies:
Dukestoner:
_Michael: Nothing has really changed... Except I have a few more useful toys at my disposal: mass plopping of residential and buildings with transparent ground textures.
kelistmac: Yeah, I create a general urban style which is part USA, part European and part UK.
Abrams124: I am.
Simmer2: Cheers!
Tyberius06: New start, new CJ- thanks for your comment.
Akallan: It's all about seamless transitions and the right ground textures.
feyss: Thanks! I never thought of placing that diagonal warehouse on the side of Bipin's Grunge Industrial road corner- until now.

Entry 10 - A Video Montage of Pololomia
And now I present one of the most realistic-looking SC4 videos you will ever see on Youtube. I recommend cinema mode - 1080p for best quality.

And as a bonus some more pictures too!
1.

Another small city block I've finished- the one surrounded by the posh fences.

Replies:
Akallan: Thank you! Anyway the URS is what I wanted from SC4 a year or two ago; 2016 had some great stuff but I can now go even further than that with residential plopping and creating lots with transparent tiles with buildings upon them.
Prophet42: Cheers! It's getting easier and easier to detail city areas and give them a certain character to them.
BC Canuck: Steal those ideas! If you're wondering the British Sausage is a famous joke from the British TV series Yes Minister.
tariely: Oh yeah!
Michelle Yukimura: I go to GIMP and use the horizontal flip tool.
sejr99999: Thanks! And good luck with your search.
metarvo: Yeah the diagonals were a give-away; I am a madman when it comes to creating seamless diagonals and removing jagged texture edges on roads.
kelistmac: Make some - ahem! - contributions for the mayor and that house is yours.
feyss: Thanks!

Entry 9: Highlights from Pololomia
In this entry there are some more pictures from Pololomia. I think I can get the whole city tile done by Christmas holiday time.
Thanks a lot for the comments- it is good to be back.
Anyway, enjoy the pictures and the enjoy the weekend.

• Update #8 || Hatsukaichi - The Port + Extra •
##############################################################################
• Hello everyone, today I want to share with all of you the last update of Hatsukaichi. We have visited this wonderful town in the last 2 updates but I wanted to leave the port for the last update of Hatsukaichi. Why ? I have put a lot of effort into making this port and I'm really happy with the result, to me the port of Hatsukaichi means a step forward in my way to the perfect recreation of the Japanese landscape. I hope you enjoy all the pictures and the update itself •

• In the past, the Hatsukaichi lighthouse was located far from the population and the buildings. This was previously a small peninsula far from the habitable zones of Hatsukaichi •

• Due to the strong demand in the country and the shortage of land, the city was gradually gaining space to the sea and today the lighthouse is part of the town itself •

• To understand the progress of the port first it is necessary to explain its past. The port is divided into 3 parts, in these two pictures you can see the old port; this one was the first port of Hatsukaichi. It's shape is quite simple, just a small zone created on a a shallow area, building it was simple and for the small and old boats there was no problem of depth ( In the past Hatsukaichi used its port only to supply fish for its inhabitants ) •

• When the people of Hatsukaichi realized that the fishing could be a good business, they built an extension of the old port, the part two. Part two consisted in building a dock for ships a little bigger and deeper where the first fishing companies could be established. The Hatsukaichi fish market was also built •

• Part two of the port was built between the lighthouse and the old port of Hatsukaichi •

• In this image you can appreciate how the old port (Part 1) and the extension (part 2) are perfectly connected along the shoreline •

• Currently part 2 of the Hatsukaichi port is normally used by small boats because the larger ships use the new port that we will see below.A small security post was also built to maintain maritime control of the area •

• The new port of Hatsukaichi (Part 3) is bigger and more modern, its docks are more spacious and functional and it has much more space for the workers and their trucks •

• The part 3, the new port of Hatsukaichi is the heart of the town, most of the inhabitants are working here, fishing is the main business for this people and Hatsukaichi has it own fame. It is located far of the city center, far from the main ports and industries of the prefecture. Its fish is fresh and it is very famous in the entire prefecture of Saitama, for that reason during the all day ships are transporting fish from here to the main port of the Prefecture, located in Tokyu, the biggest city of Saitama Prefecture •
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• If you are one of those people who usually come to Hatsukaichi to buy fish or you are just passing by, I recommend you visit this small town located west of Hatsukaichi •

• It really has nothing special but for those people who live in the big cities of the Prefecture small towns like this are pure fresh air, simply walk through its small and narrow streets while listening to the sound of the Saitama Sea •

• The Saitama Prefecture It is a huge place, it is known as the port of Japan, the whole prefecture is destined to the sea and not only the big international ports are important, ports and places like these contribute to keep our Prefecture in perfect operation. I hope you enjoyd your visit and until the next time my friends •
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Greetings / Saludos / Groeten

After taking a look at Ancient Rome - we'll now take a look at this incredible city in the modern day. Our trip to Rome begins with a trip to one of Rome's most famous squares - the stunning Piazza Navona. This square dates back from the 1st century CE, and was originally the site of many great athletic games over the years. Today, it serves as the perfect gathering place for locals and tourists alike.

Rome has nearly 2,000 fountains - but perhaps the most impressive of them all is the incredible Trevi Fountain. This baroque masterpiece was completed in 1762 and has been one of the most popular destinations in the city ever since. It's been said that if you throw a coin into the pool with your right hand over your left shoulder - you'll ensure a trip back to Rome in the future.

Perhaps the most well preserved building of Ancient Rome, the Pantheon remains to this day as a temple to the Roman Gods. The circular oculus at the top allows light to enter, as well as the rain and any other natural elements. While there's numerous ways to get to the Pantheon, you can't go wrong with the time-tested solution: a horse drawn carriage through the streets of Rome.

Located entirely inside of Rome, The Vatican might be the world's smallest country, but it holds many treasured landmarks. St. Peter's Square is one of the world's most famous squares - it's 283 columns, standing 55 feet tall each are truly unmistakable. Papal audiences are held here regularly, drawing big crowds - but its Easter and Christmas Masses are by far the largest, drawing tourists from the world over.

On a steep hillside in the heart of Ancient Rome is where you'll find one of the world's most famous staircases - the Spanish Steps. These 135 steps connect the Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Square) at the bottom to the Trinità dei Monti church at the top - and making the climb is something that you won't want to miss. The millions of tourists over the years making the climb hasn't come without a price, however. With the staircase falling into a state of disrepair, with weeds and cracks taking over - a multi-million dollar restoration was called for and recently completed.

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Hello everyone,
It has been a long time since I came on the forums, tonight I come back with a new video... A video a bit special, it's the first time I spend so much time to achieve one. It took me more or less two weeks, during all my evenings to lay this video, there are more than eight hours of films that had to be sorted and compressed. But the biggest particularity of this video is that it appeals to 21 other people than me, without whom, I could never make this video as we know it today!
I want to thank everyone who took some of their time to make the video!
Good viewing!

Thanks for the comment!

I did not invent any MMPs, all come from different mods. For the lots it's almost the same thing, I just used existing BATs in the LE.

Thank you for your sharing!

Thank you very much, it makes me very happy to have worked with you!

I'm glad you're happy!

Thank you very much Michael, I'm glad I worked with you too!

Thank you!

Thank you very much GoKingsGo!

Thank you very much!

Thank you very much korver!

Thank you!

Thank you very much, music plays an important role too!

Well, thank you very much! For the textures of roads and streets, this is part of my work SNT:
Textures are not available at the moment. The project should be realized in a few months!

Thank you Krasner, glad you like it!

Thank you very much for the comment! There is no problem, the resolution also goes as it is now!

Thank you!

Thank you very much for your comment and your participation, I am very happy!

Well, thank you very much for all your kind words! It is true that I do not always have a lot of time to work on SC4, but I always try to find a moment to do what I like.

Replies:
_Michael: Thanks! I spend a lot of my time expanding the city based on density transitions: high to medium, medium to low, low to medium, etc.
kschmidt: Diagonals zones coming off FA roads was done to a limited extent by someone else- they however zones diagonal houses on an FA road but I took a perpendicular approach. FrankU's Dutch Parks are highly versatile and can provide posh fencing, low density tree fillers and cool looking paths. The horse race is a bit small and the diagonal downtown section has a little too much repetition but... It passes muster! I do love slotting in railyards into my industry.
kelistmac: Cheers! I always go for large and gridbusting where possible- it's even possible to gridbust using strictly orthogonal streets and roads.
Simmer2: Thank you! Your LOTs and BATs go some way to filling in my railways, industrial zones and rural areas.

Entry 6- Creating Realistic Rural Settings
Building urban areas is one speciality of mine and I do love industrial areas, but where I flourish in is with rural areas. Using MMPs I can create an organic look to a grid system of fields, or do some immense grid-busting. Listen up as I reveal some methods for creating highly realistic rural areas.

1.

The 101 of Realistic Rural Scenes is rural/urban transitions and vice versa.

2.

You will need fences bordering the fields, woodland filler tiles (or MMP trees), low density areas and of course the grunge roads found in Bipin's Industrial Essentials help too!

3.

The city border can be all sorts: housing, light industry, a school, a large facility, a utility complex, etc. What matters though is there being a clear division between where the urban ends and the rural begins.

4.

One method is mixing in fields with RCI zones. So when you move to the city outskirts there are fields either penetrating into the city area or there are fields surrounded by city blocks, etc.

5.

The other crucial thing to consider is SPACE.

6.

The smallest field needs to be at a minimum approximately 200 metres wide. Like the field above its width is 12 tiles across- or 192m.

7.

In the North of Pololomia I mixed in fields with industrial blocks. This can make building to the grid very interesting and thus rather Americanized. Remember: SPACE, fillers and clear rural/urban divisions.

8.

It's perfectly normal to have an industrial estate or business park to suddenly emerge from the countryside and farmland. But these kind of areas often have a lot of green space, trees and again SPACE.

9.

Rural/urban transitions come in all shapes and sizes. For instance the railway marks the separation between an outer city suburb and the countryside.

10.

In the future I will show the full area and you will appreciate the layout, size and detail involved. In these teaser pics though and in this one we have a bit of MMP gridbusting. Gravel/tarmac MMPs can go in any direction, as can walls and flora- EXPLOIT THIS to the max!

11.

The next big challenge of rural/countryside scenes are the fields themselves. DO NOT use plopped field/crop lots. These have little to no variation and so make the grid stand out like a sore thumb. Because of the fields variation/(organic irregularity) your eyes are drawn to the fields, thus rendering the orthogonal roads less obvious and intrusive.

12.

But MMP fields -- and I have taken great inspiration and artistic license from Ln X here -- make fields realistic. Why? Fields are organic and plants are sprouting in a chaotic fashion. Laying down MMPs emulates this chaotic distribution and so the entire field becomes this large painting- subtle variation of one theme.

13.

I will explain more about MMPing fields in a future entry- but the basic process is usually mixing two flora MMPs together to create a thick, detailed look.

14.

MMPs can also extend lots which seem very confined. The industrial buildings in the centre have more presence because of the dirt truck stop. This is just one small example of how texture MMPs and vehicle MMPs can produce incredibly realistic scenes with only three or four MMPs being used.

15.

Using Ilive's Reader and the Lot Editor, 1x1 residential buildings can be changed into parks with no base texture.

16.

I'm only just beginning to explore this technique but the results produce astonishing off-the-grid images. The buildings are surrounded by MMPs which create the illusion of a large lot, but the reality is this- these are 1x1 park tiles which have a house in the centre and a transparent texture. For the longest time I have always wanted to do something like the above and finally my dreams are coming true!

Well... That wraps up this entry.
And next week another entry.
Stay tuned.

Replies:
kschmidt: No I don't have the No Abandonment Mod. I have found a way to plop in LARGE amounts of residential without triggering abandonment of the plopped residential buildings. Thanks for your comment.
IL.: Size always matters... For a CJ... Ahem.
Talla 2XLC: Thanks for your comment!
Terring: Thank you!
TekindusT: Cheers! Green and wide I say!
kim026: Thanks!
Prophet42: Thank you! Everything I have shown has been done without using the Lot Editor. All it takes is the right BATs, LOTs and dependencies.

Entry 4: Plobbable Residential Abandonment Problem now Solved!
We are in for a treat today folks! I believe I have stumbled across a workaround which prevents plopped residential buildings (R$, R$$ and R$$$) from becoming abandoned.

1.

Here is the area I will be infilling- to the left of the road going northwards.

2.

Step 1: zone out a plot which matches the size of the residential lot to be plopped, in this case 3x3.

3.

Step 2: Pick -- using the BuildingPlop cheat -- a residential lot. I have picked CP_VictorianSmallRes$$_12_Decid and from that the CP_R$$5_3x3_VictorianRow_12Hses. The lot is circled in red and looks good in medium density areas.

4.

Step 3: Let residential buildings grow, make sure every one of these lots matches the size of our plopped residential lot. In this case 3x3. REMEMBER: this step is the MOST important of them all!!!

5.

Step 4: Pick the residential lot from the BuildingPlop cheat list and plop in the lot exactly upon the 3x3 plots. Press cheetah speed, watch the months go by and voila! No No Job Zot and no abandonment! As long as there is a residential lot which is grown and matches the lot size of the residential lot you wish to use- your plopped residential lot will not become abandoned.

6.

And that's it! Now the next step is to complete this area and one thing with this particular housing lot are the street tile textures emerging from the middle of the lot. I create false intersections using the elevated rail pieces: elevated rail connected to elevated rail over street. Demolish the elevated rail section and what is left behind is a 1x1 street segment which isn't rounded.

7.

Looks better with those false intersections doesn't it? Lastly we pretty up the area to the left and add some W2W shops plus carparking on top to finish off this city block.

8.

It's a very simple layout which works thanks to the fabulous lotting and batting of the content creators.

9.

Here are some examples of residential plopping in action.

10.

11.

12.

So to conclude: no more waiting around for the residential buildings you want, no more abandonment of plopped residential buildings AND a chance to use every residential building listed in the BuildingPlop menu.
Please let me know in the comments whether you are able to replicate (copy) this in your cities.
Please also note that if abandonment occurs due to low desirability, traffic noise, crime, pollution, garbage or radiation then I suspect these plopped residential buildings will remain abandoned even if desirability improves. Whereas normal zoned residential buildings which are abandoned can become reoccupied again.
One unknown is how plopped RCI will react on a massive scale or on a ubiquitous scale. I would say at least a third of my residential buildings in Pololomia are plopped and my plopped commercial and industrial buildings have not been adversely effected.
So your feedback will be most useful!
Thanks, and if this cheat works for you then your whole SC4 gaming experience is about to be RADICALLY CHANGED!
Enjoy!!!

Our trip to Paris continues with a trip to the Sacré-Cœur Basilica (Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris) - one of Paris' most beautiful churches, often drawing comparisons to the Taj Mahal. Located on top of a small hill in the heart of the city, the church is visible for miles around.

The next stop is Place de la Concorde - Paris' most famous square. Originally designed in 1755, this square is unlike anything else in the city - complete with a massive authentic Egyptian obelisk in the middle.

The Panthéon, located in Paris' Latin Quarter, is another one of the cities most famed landmarks. Originally modeled after Rome's Pantheon and built as a church - it now functions as a mausoleum for many of France's most famous citizens.

The Bourse de commerce is one of the city's most unique buildings, both in shape and function. It was originally used as a place to trade grain upon completion in 1763, then as a stock exchange, and more recently, plans are underway to transform it into a major art museum.

The 689 foot tall Tour Montparnasse is the tallest skyscraper in Paris - and is hard to miss. Upon completion in 1973, the building was heavily criticized for its style and for being out of place - and as a result, buildings over 7 stories tall were banned from the city center. A massive renovation is slated to begin in 2019.

Our tour of Paris ends with one of the city's most famous landmarks - the Arc de Triomphe. Built between 1803 and 1836, this iconic monument serves as a tribute to French soldiers lost in wars and has important military leaders engraved on its walls. For those wishing to get up close - make sure you use the underground tunnels instead of dodging the traffic..

Don't forget to comment, like, and follow True Earth if you haven't already!

Replies:
TowerDude: Some entries will have commentaries as I explain certain key things.
nos. 17: The apple doesn't fall far from the tree... Anyway, thanks for your comment!
Talla 2XLC: Just keeping a low profile and focusing on the cities. And yes I use the building plop cheat extensively in my cities.
sucram17: Thank you very much!
kscmidt: Virtually every RCI building has been plopped- there is a trick to get residential buildings plopped without them becoming abandoned.
IL.: Thank you!
Abrams124: Cheers! And I will keep going...

Entry 3: There Will Be Diagonals!
I have developed Pololomia considerably and I am finding it very easy to expand the city and infill areas. So without further adieu here are 16 more pictures to feast your eyes on!

1.

Here is Pololomia so far.

2.

I am gradually stitching together the various areas.

3.

Piece by piece...

4.

Diagonal by diagonal.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

This area came out something special...

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

I'm now going to start developing the outskirts and the rural/urban city borders.

16.

MMPs are love. MMPs are life.

Next week there will be another update from Pololomia. Enjoy and have a great weekend!